social media | awritersfountain

I know it is cheating really to do a daily post and then not fill it in daily, I was just so tired when I finally got home last night. I even rain checked a night out with friends because I knew I was too tired and needed to prepare for my interview today. That’s why I am in here. Getting everything up to date – because the next time you see me will be on the flip side…

Thursday, September 12: Discuss ways that blogging or social media has changed you.

WOW – that’s a big one. I don’t think either have changed me (other than being even more conscious of my body issues) but they have both changed the way I live my life.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ME

Firstly let’s deal with social media – as with the rest of the advances of the 21st century, I dug my heals in and refused. Seeing it as another global tracking devise and being very jealous of yet another multi-millionaire twenty something! Dang! Why hadn’t I thought of that! (Because I was still letter writing with stamps!)

I resisted signing up to all of them – then my friend moved to Australia and after a few emails she begged me to join up as for her it was quick and easy to update her travels – we could all see she was safe, well and happy and she could communicate with all her friends back home en mass. It was a nice idea because some of us knew each other and once that common thread has gone, lives drift… we have all stayed in contact (if only online!)

So my social media self was born – true data – true image – not pretending to like sports or be anybody that I wasn’t. Before long the friends requests were filling up and I loved collecting all the people of my past circles of life. Like butterflies. School friends, now living all over the world, college friends, thesbians, dancers, Uni friends, teachers, my mum’s friends who I called ‘Aunty’ growing up…. relatives (all over UK – this one I find lovely – we are a close knit family but tend to see the wider family only at big functions) because they are all on my friends list, I get to see their lives and read all the in between bits, leading to lively and closer conversation than the good old days – when you would spend the whole party repeating the last 12 months of your life story to any relative willing to listen!

And because we have family all over the world and I have friends all over the world it is a great way to stay in touch. And I wouldn’t be without it.

I have so far managed not to advertise which one it is… but here are the downsides too;

I once spent a whole summer obsessed with my beautiful farm!
It can eat hours up like minutes.
You have to train yourself to be disciplined (I could facilitate a workshop on this one!)
You can get requests off people you never liked in the first place – awkward.
You have to censor yourself…
They OWN your photos?!

I didn’t use any other Social Media, until… a friend and I went to watch Eddie Izzard – life dream – so random and funny… only took 15 years to catch a tour in this country. Before the show he had screens of tweets … we signed up the next day so we could tweet the audience of the next night’s show.

I don’t often update my twitter account – I spent 11months without accessing it at all. I regularly link blog posts through twitter and love the way completely random followers get involved.

In my former incarnation as a full time teacher I had no need to network or create any business stream through social media. As a freelance writer that is the next thing to incorporate, I know that I will be creating a website and it is tempting to open a 2nd Account using my full name as the business network. (For clients and /or fans!) 😉

I think the weirdest moment with social media was walking into the small town library for public access computer use and all 22 machines were in use and on a particular site… the demographic of the users was mixed and I was like – Oh my – the whole world’s on it!

MY BLOG

Now my blog has changed my life. It has helped me focus on this new chapter (which was the original purpose for starting one!) I still cannot believe all the years that have passed that I resisted or even feared starting a blog. I don’t know why. I ran a website for 3 years that was open to a whole community of writers. I guess until I stepped back into my writing skin I had no theme or reason to blog about!

I love blogging.

I love everything about blogging.

I love chatting so it stands to reason!

I have been inspired by so many people I have ‘met’ through blogging, I have learnt so much, I have ordered books and looked into authors and found out about publishing opportunities. I have shared my heart and soul and sometimes my writing.

It has been fun … and the only slight worry is some note in the general managing area that suggests WordPress has a limited life span and I am already about 7 years late…

apart from that I have no concerns about the future of this site – it is growing as well as my farm a few summers ago 😉 and I am on it and in it for the duration of my 16 year Olympian challenge!

Of course, by then technological advances will mean we don’t even need to type we can just think our blogs onto the internet!